NFL: The Greatest Super Bowl Halftime Performances of All Time

We are all just over a week removed from Super Bowl XLVII. In the week following the big game, often times you will hear discussions over the best television spot as well as the quality of the halftime show.

For many years the halftime show would consist of very talented marching bands as the main attraction.

Over time, the show has morphed into an event of all its own. Present-day shows usually cast a big name from current music or a big name that revolutionized a previous generation.

Either way you look at it, today's halftime show is about star power. Sometimes those stars align and create a memorable show; sometimes it's a dud.

The opening with ET was a nice touch, especially with the fireworks going off when he turned the lights back on. One of the coolest things about this show was that the main stadium lights were kept off. This allowed for us to see some neat on field things like the sun during Wonder's performance.

Wonder put on a very solid show. I especially enjoyed his little tap dance routine.

This night marked the second time Estefan performed at the Super Bowl. I was not a huge fan of her previous performance in 1993, but she redeemed herself on this night.

Estefan performed a solid set. One of the highlights of her performance was her glowing dancers, which stood out well because of the lack of stadium lights.

This show ended with a duet between Wonder and Estefan. It was a nice way to end this show.

10. Indiana Jones (Super Bowl XXIX)

This show also included Patti LaBelle, Tony Bennett and The Miami Sound Machine.

When it comes to entertainment value, this might be one of the greatest shows of all time. Indiana Jones was huge at the time, and this show was being used to promote Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

As entertaining as this was to watch on television, I am not so sure those in attendance got the same vibe. As a live spectator it was most likely difficult to take in and appreciate all of the Indiana Jones parts of the show.

The vocal performances were decent. LaBelle was pretty much on the mark, whereas Bennett has had better. The Miami Sound Machine sounded great as usual.

If you were a kid at this time, this one probably stands out the most for you.

8. Madonna (Super Bowl XLVI)

Madonna was joined by Cee Lo Green, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A and several marching bands during this performance.

If one thing has been consistent about Madonna, it's her "go big or go home" mentality. This was quite evident by her lavish parade into the arena to open this show.

Aside from the sets and staging, one of the coolest parts of this show was the wire performer. The stunts and tricks that this gentleman did on a strap were breathtaking.

This performance was a bit slow in the middle. LMFAO was not needed, but at the same time they didn't detract from the show. "Give Me All Your Luvin" was brutal, and it's clear dancing is no longer Madonna's strong point.

The closing of the show was terrific and brought everyone back to Madonna's heyday.

Overall Madonna put on a solid performance for someone who is definitely past her prime. Lastly, the drum line was pretty awesome!

7. N*SYNC and Aerosmith (Super Bowl XXXV)

This show was tailored for the MTV youth of that time. With that being said, this show more than hit its mark.

The opening video with Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller and Chris Rock was funny.

N*SYNC was huge at the time and Aerosmith was relevant with the MTV crowd because of their singles "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" and "Jaded." Add in Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly and you had a show that every teen wanted to see.

Aerosmith and N*SYNC put on good sets. The show closed with everyone singing one of Aerosmith's classic hits.

Overall, this show killed it with the audience at which it was aimed. Unfortunately, not only teenagers were watching this performance.

Aerosmith was definitely here to pull in the older crowd. I just can't imagine many of their fans loving the fact that they were singing up there with the likes of a boy band and Britney Spears.

6. Beyonce (Super Bowl XLVII)

This show was so awesome that it literally sucked the power out of the Superdome. OK, that might be going a little to far, but it was still a good show though.

Performance-wise, Beyonce killed it!

Entertainment-wise, this show was fantastic!

Singing-wise, well, there really wasn't much of that.

The one area where this show fell flat was that Beyonce chose to put more effort into dancing and hyping up the crowd than in singing her own songs.

Some highlights of this show include the double-faced stage and of course the reunion of Destiny's Child. When Beyonce finally did decide to sing at the end, she did very well. Her live rendition of "Halo" was very well done and a nice way to close the show.

3. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake (Super Bowl XXXVIII)

This performance will always be remembered for the "wardrobe malfunction" that took place in its final moments.

P. Diddy, Nelly and Kid Rock were also a part of this show.

The show itself was actually pretty good. Jackson and Timberlake both looked great and performed awesome sets. It was great to see Diddy perform. Nelly making his second halftime performance was also solid. Kid Rock added a quick rock aspect to the show, which was nice.

The crowd was amped up and into this entire performance.

Unfortunately, all of these artists performances will always come second to the aforementioned incident between Jackson and Timberlake.